Train-order crane.



HACHMANN.

TRAIN ORDER CRANE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 6,1910.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETS-$313111.

THE NORRIS PETERS 120., wAsHmcmN. h. c.

' F. HAGHMANN.

TRAIN ORDER CRANE. APPLICATION FILED APR.6, 1910.

Patented Feb. 28,1911.

3 BHEIETS-SHEET 2.

i J w wii I F. HAUHMANN.

TRAIN ORDER CRANE.

-APPLIOATION rnknn APR.6,1910.

985,163. Patented Feb. 2 1911.

3 BHEETS-SHEET 3.

xi/(971251- Fedezjc Hac/vnanw llNlTD SITES PATENT FFFCE.

FREDERICK HACHIVIANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TOGEORGE N. WOODLEY, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, AND ONE-HALF TO ELNATHAN G.COOK AND ONE-EIGHTH 'IO THOS. GHON RIX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRAIN-ORDER CRANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 6, 1910.

aeaies. Patented Feb. as, 1911.

Serial No. 553,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HAoI-I- MANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Order Cranes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in train order cranes andconsists in the matters hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

My improved train order crane belongs to that kind of apparatus which isintended to deliver train orders to rapidlv moving trains, one to theengineer and one to the conductor of the train. It embraces a post orstandard which is located to one side of the track over which the trainpasses; a trunnion secured to the upper end of said post or standard atabout the level of the usual engine cab; a hub mounted on said trunnionand adapted to rotate in a plane extending transverse of the track; armscarried by said hub between the outer ends of which the train ordercarriers in the form of the usual ropes or other similar devices areremovably supported; -and mechanism intermediate the hub and thetrunnion which looks said hub first in one position to deliver theengineers order and then in a second position to deliver the conductorsorder, which locking mechanism is released by the removal of thecarriers.

In the drawings :Figure l is a vertical elevation of my improved trainorder crane. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on an enlarged scale takenthrough the longitudinal axes of the crane arms. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection through Fig. 2 on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectionsimilar to Fig. 2 showing a slightly modified form of the. device. Fig.5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the crane arm holder asused in the modified form of the device. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectionthrough Fig.4 on the line 6-43 thereof. Fig. 7 is a detail perspectiveview of the end of the middle arm shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is aperspective View of the lower arm shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 9 isa partialsection through Fig. 5 on the line 99 thereof.

In that embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3,inclusive, A indicates a vertical postor standard which is securelyanchored to the ground or to the station platform in any convenientmanner adjacent the track. B is a hollow trunnion provided with a base 6which is securely bolted to the standard. Upon said trunnion isrotatably mounted a hub'C which is re.- tained in place thereon by meansof a threaded cap D having an annular shoulder (Z adapted to abutagainst the outer end of the hub. A squared head 6Z1 is formed on theouter surface of the cap D for convenience in removing or attaching thesame by means of a wrench. F, G and H indicate radially extending armswhich are rigidly secured in any convenient manner to the hub C inequal, angularly spaced relation. As illustrated herein, the hub isprovided with threaded nipples 0 into which the threaded ends of saidarms F, G and H are screwed. Loclring'nuts c are provided for lockingsaid arms in their respective nipples. Said arms are in the form ofhollow tubes and are each provided with a spring controlled plungerwhich projects beyond the outer end of the tube and is there providedwith a diskwhich is adapted to lock one end of the order carrier ropeagainst the outer end of the tube. F G H indicate the spring controlledplungers. The plungers H and G of the arms H and G project beyond theinner ends of the tubes comprising said arms and are there provided withrollers H", G of larger diameter than the diameter of the rodsthemselves. In the hub B is formed an annular slot 13 which, throughoutpart of its length, is of a width equal to the diameter of the rollers HG as indicated at 6 while, for the balance of its length, it is lessthan this width, as indicated at o ,the two parts of the slot beingseparated by a shoulder 6 Each of the arms H, G and F are provided attheir outer ends with flanged caps, respectively, H G, F through whichproject the reduced ends h, g, f of the plungers H G F Helical springsif, g f bear between the caps H G F and the larger parts of saidplungers so as to normally push said plungers longitudinally toward thecenter of the 35 s opposite ferrule 70 of the rope carrier K insertedbetween the cap Gr and the disk 9 7 to those of the other arms.

them.

hub. .At the outer ends of said plungers are secured disks if, 9 f whichare adapted to engage the ends of the order carriers J, K, and lock themagainst the caps H G ,.F respectively. Finger rings h 9 f are secured tothe ends of said plungers for conveniently withdrawing each end withferrules j k of'diameters substantially equal to the thickness of themetal of the cylindric hollow hub C. j mdicates the engineers order ormessage and 70 that for the conductor.

The operation of the device is as fol- -lows:- The arms normally hangdownward when the apparatus is not in use in the position indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 1.

7 Then it is desired to set the apparatus for delivery of the orders ormessages, the plunger F is withdrawn by means of-its ring f and oneferrule 70 on the end of the rope carrier K is inserted between the capF and the disk f The hub' G is then rotated ,on its trunnion until theroller F passes the shoulder b of the slot in the trunnions, when theplunger G may bewithdrawn and the The plunger E of'the auxiliary arm Eis then withdrawn and the ferrule j at one end of the rope carrier J Vis inserted between the cap E and the disk e The hub is then rotatedupon its axis until the roller IT passes the shoulder b whereupon theplunger H of the arm H maybe withdrawn and the ferrule 7' at theopposite end' of said rope carrier is engaged between the cap H and thedisk if, The parts are now in the position indicated in Fig. 1. As therapidly moving train passes the crane, the rope J carrying the engineersmessage is caught and forced from its respective arms which releases theplunger H and permits the spring h to move said plunger longitudinallyinward, and with it the roller H in-- ward beyond the slot B Thisreleases the hub O and the weight of the arms causes the saidhub'torotate on its trunnion until the roller Gr strikes the shoulder b in theslot. The carrier rope K is then caught and removed by means located atthe rear end of the passing train and this releases the.

plunger G whereupon the spring 9 moves said plunger longitudinallyinward and forces the roller Gr inwardly beyond the slot B whereuponthe'weight of the arm causes Anauxiliary arm E is secured to.

the hub to swing to its first or initial position. A counterweight Lmounted on a rod Z which is secured to the hub D serves to balance theweight of the arm and thus diminish the eifort necessary to raise saidarms. Said counterweight, when the arms swing to their initial position,swings slightly toward the track side of the central vertical axis ofthe trunnion so as to hold the arms away from the track, as indicated indotted lines.

In that modification of my invention shown in Figs. at to 9, inclusive,a slightly different mechanism for locking the hub to its trunnion isillustrated. In said construction instead of using two rollers which areadapted to successively lock against the same shoulder, as in the formerconstruction, I use one roller having two parts of different diameterand provide a slot in the hub which is provided with two shouldersseparating the slot into three parts of different widths :one wideenough to permit the passage of the larger part of the roller, the nextsucceeding one wide enough to permit the passage of the smaller part ofthe roller, and the next only wide enough to permit the passage of theplunger-upon which the roller is mounted. In said figures, A is the postor standard; M is the trunnion; N, the hub; O, P, Q, the arms; R, S, thecarrier ropes; and r 1*, s 8 the ferrules at the ends of said carrierropes. M indicates the annular slot in the hub, in this case providedwith three parts m m m of successively smaller widths separated byshoulders m", m The middle arm P only is provided with a springcontrolled plunger P retracting spring 79 cap P disk 79 and ring 72 Atthe inner end of the plunger C is mounted a roller P having parts P, Pof different diameters, the innermost part P being adapted to fit thepart m of the slot and the outer part P being adapted to fit the part mof the slot M The part m of the slot is adapted to fit the reduced innerend of the plunger P upon which the roller P is journaled. The arms 0, Qare of the same construction and are in the form of flat bars providedat their inner ends, respectively, with keyeways 0 Q Said keyvways arein the form of circular openings 0 provided on their outer sides withradially extending rectangular slots 0 9 To the hub N are securedbifurcated ears 0 P adapted to embrace. respectively. the inner ends ofthe arms O and Q, and provided with keys 0 Q which extend through thekey-ways 0 Q To the outer ends of the arms 0 and Q are secured shortfiat bars 0*, Q, which extend toward the middle arm P. Flat retainingsprings 0 Q are sooured to the inner faces of said bars 0 which withsaid springs are adapted to engage and hold the ferrules r and s at theends of the rope carriers R and S. The rope S is of larger diameter thanthe rope It as are also the ferrules 3'' larger than the ferrules r",the difference in diameters being about equal to the width of the outer,smaller part F of the roller P To the outer end of the middle arm P issecured an auxiliary spring-controlled catch T which is adapted to holdtemporarily the lower end of the rope R with the ferrule r thereofbetween the cap P and the disk p ready to be engaged therebetween whenthe larger ferrule s on the lower rope S has been removed. When the arms0 and Q are pushed longitudinally inward, the keys 0 and Q enin therectangular parts 0 Q2 of the key-ways so as to lock said arms to thehub 1 but when withdrawn longitudinally away from the center of saidhub, as occurs when said arms hang downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 4,the keys engage within the circular parts 0 of the key-ways and are freeto swing with reference to the hub. By this construction, after themessages have been delivered and the hub has rotated to its firstposition, said arms hang vertically out of the way.

In order to set the modified apparatus above described for passingtrains, the ferrule r on the rope R is engaged between the bar 0 and thespring O at the end of the arm 0 and said arm is pushed longitudinallyinward to bring the key 0 into the rectangular part 0 of its key-way,thereby locking the arm in radial position with reference to the hub.The opposite end of the rope R is then engaged by the auxiliary springcatch T, the disk 79 withdrawn from the cap P of the arm P, the ferrules of the rope carrier S engaged between said disk and cap, and theferrule r inserted between said cap and disk in position to be engagedthereby when the ferrule 8 is withdrawn. The arms 0 and P are swungupward, the arm Q locked in radial relation to the hub, in the same wayas the arm 0, and the ferrule .9 at the lower end of the rope carrier Sengaged between the bar Q} and the spring Q at the end of the arm Q. Thearms are then swung into the position indicated in the full lines inFig. 4, with the larger, inner part P of the roller in engagement withthe shoulder m of the slot M As the train passes the crane, the carrierS is removed, thus permitting the disk 29 to'move inward and engage theferrule W. The corresponding movement of the rod P forces the largerpart P of the roller inwardly beyond the slot M so that the smaller partP of said roller may engage within the part m of the slot. The arms thenswing downward until the middle arm 1? assumes the former position ofthe arm Q indicated in full lines in Fig. 5. The rope R is then removedby the passing train which permits the plunger P by the action of thespring al to push the smaller part P of the roller inward beyond theslot M whereupon the hub swings on its trunnion until the middle arm Passumes a vertical position, and the arms 0 and Q assume the positionindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4c.

The construction illustrated in Figs. 4: to 9, inclusive, is thepreferred form of the apparatus, for the reason that all of the arms,when in inoperative position, hang verti cally in front of the post orstandard of the crane so as to be entirely out of the way.

While I have shown herein, in the two modifications of my inventionillustrated and described, certain details of mechanical constructionand arrangement, it is apparent that these may be variously modifiedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish tobe limited thereby except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. A train order crane embracing a trunnion, astandard to which said trunnion is secured, a hub rotatably mounted onsaid trunnion, mechanism adapted to lock said hub in successive angularpositions upon said trunnion, carrying arms mounted on said hub,carriers adapted to be removably secured to the outer ends of said arms,grippers located at the outer ends of said arms adapted to yieldinglygrip said carriers, and means operated by the release of said grippersadapted to release said locking mecha- I11S111.

2. A train order crane embracing a standard, a hollow trunnion securedto said standard, a hub rotatably mounted on said trunnion adapted to belocked in successive an gular positions thereon, an annular slot havingparts of different widths formed in the cylindric surface of saidtrunnion, arms mounted on said hub, carriers adapted to be removablysecured to the outer ends of said arms, rotatable parts of differentdiameters carried by said hub adapted to co-act with the parts ofdifferent widths of said slot to lock said hub in successive angularpositions, spring controlled grippers located at the outer ends of saidarms adapted to grip said carriers, and means automatically 0peratedupon the release of said grippers to cause said rotatable parts insuccession to co-act with successive parts of said slot.

3. A train order crane embracing a stand ard, a hollow trunnion securedthereto, a hub journaled on said trunnion adapted to be locked insuccessive angular positions thereon, an annular slot formed in saidhollow trunnion having parts of different widths, rotatable parts ofdifferent diameters carried by said hub adapted to co-act with the partsof different widths of said slot to lock said hub in successive angularpositions on said trunnion, a radially extending arm rigidly securedtosaid hub, a spring controlled plunger carried by said arm adapted tocontrol the positions of said rotatable parts, a gripper operated bysaid plunger, an auxiliary spring controlled gripper carried by said armadjacent said plunger controlled gripper, angularly spaced arms locatedat each side of said first named arm, said latter arms being hinged tosaid hub, means for locking said latter arms in radial positions,

' with reference to said hub, spring-controlled grippers carried at theouter endsv of said lunged arms, and carriers having engaglng parts ofdifferent diameters adapted to be held by said grippers.

4:. A train order crane embracing a standard, a hollow trunnion securedto sald standard, a hub rotatably mounted on said trunmen-adapted tobelockedin successive angular positions thereon, an annular slot havingparts of different Widths formed in ameters carried'by said hub adaptedto coact with the parts of difierent Widths of said slot to lock saidhub in successive angular positions, spring controlled grippers locatedat the outer ends of said arms adapted to grip said carriers and meansautomatically operated upon the release of said grippers to cause saidslot engaging members in succession to co-act With successive parts ofsaid slot.

In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 2nd day of April A. D.1910.,

FREDERICK HACHMANN. Vitnesses:

T. H. ALFREDS,

G. R. VVILKINS.

Copies" of this patentvniaybe obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G'.

